Protective cases for mobile phones are well known. They typically include one or two layers of protective plastic/rubber and are fashioned to encase the rear and sides of the phone, thereby to prevent it from being damaged by being dropped or otherwise mechanically impacted. While such cases add bulk and cost to the phone, these factors are outweighed due to their use in preventing damage to an item which is relatively expensive and inconvenient to replace.
More recently, with the advent of high quality digital photography on mobile phones and the widespread internet connectivity of these devices, it has become commonplace for these devices to be used for self-photography, pictures being taken in this manner often then being shared with others or otherwise uploaded to social networking sites on the internet.
A disadvantage of self-photography by use of mobile phones is that the range at which one can hold the phone is limited by the length of the user's arm, such that the resulting picture loses much of the perspective that would normally be present in a convention picture taken by a third party (i.e. someone who is not in the picture).
Furthermore, there are many situations in which the person taking a photograph of scenery or wildlife, for example, would like to take a photograph from somewhat closer to the object being photograph, but is unable to do so as he is limited by the device being held literally at arm's length. This is particularly a problem when taking a photograph with a mobile phone, as conventional phone do not normally have an optical zoom capability, but a digital zoom. When the digital zoom is used, it increases the graininess of the resulting image, such that it is of poorer quality than desired.
In an effort to solve this problem, so-called ‘selfie sticks’ have been developed. Essentially, they enable a user to hold a stick which, in turn, supports the mobile phone distally from the end being held by the user. This therefore extends the range of useful use by a distance equal to the length of the stick. Early range extender sticks, intended for use with photographic equipment which does not necessarily include mobile phones are described, at least in part, in US Patent Publications Nos. 2004/0223752 and 2007/0177866.
However, one of the well-known problems of selfie sticks is that they are bulky to carry around and thus inconvenient.
US Patent Publication No. 2007/0053680 discloses a telescopically extendible grip for a camera which represents an approach which could be useful in mitigating the bulkiness of selfie sticks, although the described ‘grip for a camera’ still represents an article which must be carried in addition to the camera in order to be used. Having such an additional item is an additional item to remember, or potentially forget and lose.
US Patent Publication No. US 2015/0029352 entitled Collapsible Cell Phone Boom Arm is directed to an extendible boom arm which is attached to a cell phone casing. In concept, this is similar to the ExtendaPic iPhone 5/5s Case, shown at http://www.extendapic.com/.
While both represent an improvement over previous solutions, as they are based on the use of a telescopic arm, the additional range that they can provide is, by definition, limited.